Uzbekistan Nabs Drone Ban Violators

Remote control airborne drones are becoming increasingly popular playthings for hobbyists around the world, but not in Uzbekistan.

Officials in Guliston, a town some 100 kilometers south of the capital, found and confiscated four small pilotless drones during what appears to have been a major multi-departmental operation.

The government’s Electromagnetic Compatibility Enforcement Service produced pictures with its November 23 statement that showed several Phantom unmanned aerial vehicles, which are made by Chinese company DJI. The brand is widely available and can be bought over the Internet for less than $500.

The Guliston haul wasn’t exactly massive, despite the many different government bodies involved. The raid included officials from the state communications inspectorate, the customs committee, the tax inspectorate, and the anti-money laundering department.

The ban on drones was introduced on January 1 in what the government says was an effort to ensure aircraft security and avoid the unsanctioned use of Uzbekistan’s airspace.

Such regulations are inexistent in most parts of the world, and in the region for that matter. Drone footage is becoming popular in production of wedding videos in places like Kyrgyzstan.

Still, use of the devices is not uncontentious.

Flying drones over national parks is illegal in the United States, for example.

Across the world, drones are also typically banned around military bases and airport.

Russia too has been looking to tighten use of the vehicles.

Moscow city council in June ruled that drones could be used only with advance approval. Concerns that terrorist might use the vehicles to mount an attack may lead to a further tightening of the rules in Russia, according to government newspaper Rossiiskaya Gazeta.

Those very security concerns may lie behind Uzbekistan’s own strict stance on drones, although policy there is likely also motivated by the authorities desire to retain an absolutely monopoly on any instruments that could be used for surveillance.